Anna Tulding and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by hermionegranger107
Summary: The same general content as JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but with two new, muggleborn characters. Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Harry Potter characters. I do own Anna, Maria, Lucas, and David.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Cloaked Stranger**

When the alarm rang that afternoon, Anna closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, dropping her pen on the desk in front of her.

"Okay, please bring your test with you on your way out the door," the old-lady substitute said in her drawling voice, though with slightly more enthusiasm now that the school day was finally over. "I will collect it from you as you leave."

Anna glanced at the desks around her as she stood up, slipping the pen into her bag and shouldering it. Many of the other students were only half-standing, hurriedly answering the last few questions of the history exam. Anna frowned at this, but paid no further heed to it as she quickly scanned the paper in front of her while she walked toward the classroom door. She handed the teacher her paper rather reluctantly, and then clutched her shoulderbag as she headed through the swarm of students that were chatting animatedly amongst themselves on their way to the front entrance of the school.

Outside, the air was thick with humidity. The leaves on the two mulberry bushes that stood on each side of the doorway were brown and crisp, clearly parched from the drought that had been sweeping through the area.

Anna lived on Cherryway, four blocks away from Caldwell Academy, the smaller of the two public schools in Alton. She had few friends at Caldwell: perhaps it was due to her rather timid temperament, or perhaps it was because people thought she was just far too concerned about grades.

The one person she did often speak to was currently a block ahead of her, in the middle of his four friends. His name was David Shelton. He was a fair few inches taller than Anna, and his hair was smooth and black, while hers was long, brown, and wavy.

It was quite impossible to say exactly how the two had become friends. They lived three blocks apart, and had never had a single class together at school. Yet Anna had gravitated toward him, and he to her, on their first day at Caldwell, nearly seven years before.

As Anna approached the crosstreet where she turned left and he continued going straight, she paused for a second, staring anxiously at his retreating back, while he waved goodbye to one of his friends. Then he turned back to the other boys, and, as he did so, he caught her eye for a moment, and grinned. Sudden warmth flowed through every inch of her body, stretching way out to the tips of her fingers. She smiled back at him, and then walked quickly away.

All of the homes on Cherryway were built in the same style. Each had two stories, three bedrooms, one bath, a garage just big enough to fit one normal-sized car, and a small, well-kept lawn, surrounded by a variety of rocks and stones creating interesting patterns.

Anna entered her house — number 583 — through the front door and stepped into a small entrance area, where she removed her shoes. Then she walked through another entrance and could see, directly ahead of her, the staircase that led to the second floor. To her left was a small but spacious sitting room, complete with a little television set, which was on though no one was watching it. The far side of the room opened out a bit, and a glass door was set in the wall. Through this, Anna could see the backyard, which was just as small though admittedly less well kept than the front.

She lingered for a moment beside the staircase, listening for any sign that there was another living person in the house. In the silence, she could hear laughter and then muffled voices, coming from the direction of the kitchen, which was accessible through a door a few feet in front of Anna, and through the sitting room.

Anna now sighed and walked slowly up the stairs. She made her way down the hallway and entered the second room on her left.

Compared with the rest of the house, her room was incredibly neat and plain. The walls were a very pretty shade of lilac, and bare save for a portrait of a smaller Anna hugging a small but still tall David. The bed was pushed up against the far wall, where the rose print on the duvet contrasted nicely with the lilac paint. A dresser leaned against the left wall, opposite Anna's desk, which was, surprisingly, quite cluttered. There was a stack of blank paper, several pens, one history textbook, and two thick reading books, which looked very old and well-used.

Anna smiled at the sight of her room. This was the place she truly considered to be her home. Here, she was free to read and write as much as she wanted to do. And free to ponder over things she was unsure of, or wanted to understand.

Especially the magic.

She had come to the conclusion, several weeks ago, that it could only be magic, what she could do. What else could possibly explain the strange things that kept happening to her?

The first time she noticed it was during the math final at the end of her third term, just this past school year. She was trying desperately to focus her mind on the paper in front of her, while the two boys sitting next to her constantly tried to distract her by making annoying noises with their pens. She wasn't really certain what had happened next, but when she was nearing the end of her rope, she had suddenly heard a loud crack to her left. One of the pens had split into two neat halves, while the boy was brandishing it in the air like a sword.

Then there was the incident at the park, last winter. She and David had been sitting on one of the benches, quizzing each other on the names of Indian tribes in southern Europe when all of a sudden a snowball came flying out of nowhere, hitting Anna squarely in the chest. She had turned swiftly to see who had thrown it, and the next thing she knew there were three perfect snowballs flying like daggers through the air and pelting the boy, while she and David sat stock-still, mortified.

Similar events had occurred, and neither Anna nor David knew what to make of them. Even stranger was the fact that David had also been experiencing strange things. And every time it happened, one or both of them was feeling particularly annoyed.

So Anna had come to the conclusion that this stuff was some form of magic. She still had no clue why it was happening, or what she could possibly do about it. But it felt better having a way to describe the circumstances.

That evening, there was a knock on the door of 583 Cherryway.

Anna was eating dinner in the kitchen. Here parents had been invited to a dinner party at last-minute's notice, so she was alone.

For a moment she considered not answering the door. But something to do with the fact that whoever it was had knocked rather than ringing the doorbell made her want to investigate. So she sighed, stood up, and walked to the front door.

"Hello —?" she began, but stopped abruptly with her eyes wide at the sight of the woman on her doorstep.

She was a middle-age, bespectacled woman with a sharp way about her. Her hair was up in a bun, and she had on a dress and cloak. That was the object that had made Anna surprised — a cloak. She didn't think she had ever seen anyone wearing a cloak, especially during the summer.

The woman's thin lips formed a smile as she gave Anna a piercing, but warm, look. "Hello. I presume you are Anna Tulding?"

Anna stood quite still in the doorway. Then she nodded, slowly. "Yes, I am."

"Good. My name is Minerva McGonagall." The woman held out her hand.

Anna shook it awkwardly, and then bit her lip a little. "Hello."

"I'm sure you are curious as to why I am here," the woman said, peering at Anna through her glasses. "Are your parents home?"

For a fleeting moment, Anna considered lying to the lady, but then she was saying, quickly, "No. They'll be back soon, though."

"Lovely. Do you mind if I speak to you inside? This heat is quite dreadful." She seemed to sense Anna's fear, because she continued, quickly, "And I can assure you I don't mean any harm. I was sent here to offer you a position at the school I teach at." She produced a letter from her pocket. "We believe you may have certain qualities that we look for in our students."

Taking the letter from the woman, Anna glanced at the neat, curly handwriting and the interesting seal. But she didn't wish to examine the envelope for long; surely the letter itself would prove to be much more interesting.

"All right, then," Anna said, stepping aside so the woman could come into the house. "The sitting room is right over here." She gestured to the doorway, and then led the lady to the sofa, where they both sat down.

Now Anna slowly opened the envelope. Her fingers were shaking with curiosity and her heart was thumping. She wondered what school would possibly be wanting _her_ to attend it.

The seal ripped and she quickly pulled out the letter. Biting her lip, she carefully unfolded it. The woman was watching her with a smile.

The letter was written in the same curly scrawl Anna had seen on the envelope:

Dear Ms. Tulding,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is, however, a strange circumstance, as students normally begin their studies at the age of 11. Professor McGonagall, head of the Transfiguration department and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, has kindly agreed to speak with you about the arrangements that must be made, in order for you to be able to study alongside students your age.

Your list of supplies has been included with this letter. We await your owl no later than July 30. Term begins on September 1. The Hogwarts Express will leave on August 30 at Platform 9 3/4 at exactly 11 o' clock. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Professor Albus Dumbledore

It took several minutes for Anna to take in the entire contents of the letter. And even then, she was still quite confused. She looked at the woman with a puzzled expression on her face and opened her mouth to speak.

"Um — Professor — McGonagall — can you explain, please? Um, Hogwarts… what exactly is it? I mean, why do you want me to go?"

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Hogwarts is a school for children like yourself — children who possess magical abilities."

If Anna had been hearing this for the first time, it would have come as quite a shock. But she had, after all, been thinking about magic for many months now. Hearing the words just made everything more obsolete.

"Magic! Really? So it's true…I can really do magic?" she said, very quickly.

The professor nodded. "Yes. Magic. You are a witch, Ms. Tulding. However, I need to explain further. You see, students generally begin at Hogwarts when —"

"When they're eleven," Anna said, glancing at the letter. "And I'm twelve."

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "You will be starting at Hogwarts three years after the other students, since you will almost be thirteen when term begins. Thus, you will either be studying with children younger than yourself, or you will need to come to Hogwarts early and study very hard, so that you can go into Hogwarts as a third year, with students your age."

It was an incredibly easy choice for Anna. She had always done exceptionally well in school, and was quite willing to put in more work, especially if it meant being able to go to Hogwarts, which sounded fascinating to her. "I'll go early," she said, immediately. "I don't mind doing a lot of work. And I'll study very hard —"

"Yes, we thought you would say that," said McGonagall, looking rather stern. "So the main thing we need to worry about is getting your parent's permission, and getting you to Hogwarts. You'll also need to get your supplies."

Anna smiled, barely able to sit still. "Wonderful!" she said. She glanced quickly at the Grandfather clock near the kitchen. "Yes, my parents should be home very soon…"

Her voice faded out into the suddenly silent air. She glanced anxiously at the hallway, but no sound came from the front door. She suddenly became aware that she had been tapping her fingers on her lap. Now she silenced them, and turned to Professor McGonagall. The woman's lips were pursed slightly, and she was gazing reproachfully at a porcelain figurine on top of the television she didn't seem to like. Her hands were folded genially on her skirt.

Numerous questions were swimming through Anna's mind, and she wanted to say them all. She closed her eyes momentarily, frowning slightly, and then opened them, having decided on a question that seemed more pressing than the others: "Professor, do you think you could tell me a bit more about the school? Like, what subjects I'll be taking…"

Professor McGonagall looked back at her, and there was, once again, a slight smile behind her constantly stern gaze. "Over the summer, you will be taking Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Then, when you begin your third year, you will continue with those subjects and be able to choose from a few others."

"Oh, those sound incredibly interesting!" Anna said, her green eyes shining. "I can't _wait_ to start learning them." She paused, barely able to contain her excitement. Swallowing, she proceeded to ask another question, "I presume that we sleep in the castle —"

"Yes, of course, dear. Where else would you possibly sleep?" said Professor McGonagall with a laugh. "Let me explain. At Hogwarts, there are four Houses — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Before you begin your studies, you will be sorted into a House. Then, during your stay at Hogwarts, you will attend classes with other members of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and be able to both earn and lose points. At the end of each school year, the House with the most points wins the House Cup."

Anna was fiddling with her fingers again, but she didn't notice. "Really?" she asked. "And when am I going to go to Hogwarts? School gets out this Friday, but I suppose it wouldn't be the end of the world if I missed the last few days…"

"No," said the professor, rather sharply. "If your parents give you permission, I will come to pick you up next Monday. We will stop by Diagon Alley to pick up your supplies — that is a wizard marketplace of sorts down in London — and then I will take you to Hogwarts."

"And how will we get there?"

"I will take you by Side-Along Apparition to a town called Hogsmeade, very near Hogwarts. Then we will walk the rest of the way."

Anna wondered what exactly side-along-apparition was, but she didn't have time to even _think_ about asking a question, because, quite suddenly, there was a low rumbling sound from outside, then a loud crash.

Anna jumped a good three inches into the air, and Professor McGonagall looked quickly, sternly toward the hallway. Then, a moment later, the sound of laughter reached their ears. Anna relaxed with a sigh. _Dad must have crashed again…If he keeps this up our whole house is going to fall apart…_

"That would be my parents," Anna said to Professor McGonagall, whose severe expression softened considerably.

Sure enough, a few seconds later they heard the front door open. Voices came from the hallway.

"Lucas, dear, you really do need to be more careful —"

"It's not as though I'm causing any real damage. It's the city that pays for our garbage can, not us, so I dunno why you're so worried —"

"The city pays! And who pays the city, I wonder?"

"Really, Ria, you're working yerself up for no reason —"

The voices stopped short as Anna's parents entered the sitting room and caught sight of their daughter and the lady in the cloak.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**London**

"_Our_ Anna? A witch?" Maria Tulding asked, raising her eyebrows. "You must be mistaken…." she continued. Yet with every word she spoke, her confidence seemed to falter, until she was merely staring at Professor McGonagall in disbelief.

The professor peered at Anna's parents with a slightly contemptuous look through her spectacles. "No, I am quite certain, Mrs. Tulding. Professor Dumbledore has been keeping a very close eye on Anna ever since she began to show magical potential, last autumn."

Mr. Tulding looked suddenly shocked. "Do you mean to say that someone has been following my daughter around?"

"Not _literally_. We have other ways of keeping an eye on people than Muggles such as you would be aware of," said Professor McGonagall.

Upon hearing the word "Muggle," Mr. Tulding frowned at the professor, and was about to speak. But then he caught his wife's eye and stopped in his tracks.

Mrs. Tulding was staring at the floor with quite an interesting expression, somewhere between shock and understanding, if that was even possible. Her daughter's eyes narrowed slightly at this. "Mother?" she said.

Her mother looked up, and her eyes were suddenly filled with tears. She stared at Professor McGonagall, no longer in disbelief, but as though she had remembered something that changed her mind. The professor's stern gaze seemed to soften a bit, and she nodded, quite inconspicuously, at Mrs. Tulding. An understanding seemed to pass between them, and then Maria looked back at the floor.

"Anna may go to Hogwarts with you, Professor," she said, in a very quiet voice, while her green eyes continued to sparkle with tears.

Her husband looked aghast. "But, Ria, really! These people have been watching our daughter —"

"They didn't mean any harm," Maria said. She looked suddenly quite fierce. "She's going, Lucas. If she really is a witch… then this will be good for her. She'll be with her own kind."

Following this comment, there came a silence that seemed to last ages for Anna. She had consented to sit quietly throughout the previous discussion, but now that it had been resolved, she could sit still no longer.

"Professor, what time should I expect you on Monday?" Anna asked.

McGonagall looked down at her as she replied, "Around noon. As I said before, we'll be stopping in London on our way to Hogwarts, to pick up your supplies."

"I'll be needing money, then, won't I?"

Mrs. Tulding glanced at the professor again. "We'll pay for anything she needs, and perhaps even a bit more for spending."

"Very good," Professor McGonagall said, nodding. "We use a different form of money at Hogwarts, but Anna will be able to exchange your money at the wizard bank in London."

"There's a wizard bank in London?" Mr. Tulding asked, looking quite impressed. "Where, exactly?"

"In a place called Diagon Alley. You wouldn't have seen it before; there are numerous Muggle repelling charms around the area."

Mr. Tulding frowned slightly, but then smiled, despite his lack of understand. "I see."

Professor McGonagall rose to her feet. "Well, then. If we are finished here, I will be off." She began to move toward the door, but then stopped suddenly, turning to Anna. "Ah, yes, I almost forgot. Besides your school list and acceptance letter, in that envelope you will also find a permission form. Third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit the town of Hogsmeade on certain occasions. A parent signature is required."

"All right," said Mrs. Tulding, while Anna nodded vigorously. "Thank you very much — for everything."

"You are very welcome. I am sure your daughter will do exceptionally well at Hogwarts."

With a slight nod of the head, Professor McGonagall vanished into the hallway, and out the front door.

The following five days seemed to pass twice as slowly as usual for Anna, whose thoughts were constantly dwelling on Hogwarts. She wondered what house she would be put in, how easy or hard the classes would be, and what kind of people she would meet there. She didn't think that having magic in your blood made a person any nicer than he or she would have been without it. But she hoped that at least _some_ of the students at Hogwarts would be slightly more accepting than the Muggles at Caldwell.She had adopted the term Muggle into her vocabulary almost instantaneously.

Her newfound "ability," as she liked to think of it, had most certainly affected her life. She no longer felt like a complete and utter outcast, for there was suddenly a completely different world that she was a part of — a necessary part of, at that. She frequently reminded herself of this, of the fact that the wizarding world must have a need for her, or else it would not have made itself known to her.

Anna had the urge to boast about her magic, but she doubted any of her fellow students would really believe her. Except for David.

She really, really wanted to tell David about everything — about her interesting meeting with Professor McGonagall; about how they had both been right in believing magic existed; about how she would soon be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…. But all of a sudden, without any notice, David was gone. His parents said he was away, visiting a sick cousin who would be leaving him a massive fortune. But Anna wasn't certain about their truthfulness, partly because David had never spoken of a cousin he was close to.

So she had to hold everything in and focus her mind on other things, namely the upcoming visit to Diagon Alley, which was sure to be an incredibly fascinating adventure.

And then, when Anna could hardly be patient any longer, Monday had arrived.

She awoke at precisely six-thirty that morning, thinking for a moment that she had school that day and her alarm had not gone off. Then she remembered that it was the first day of her summer vacation — which led to the sudden memory of a woman with a stern face, spectacles, and a cloak, standing on Anna's front doorstep.

With a gasp of surprise, Anna threw her blanket off and sprang out of bed, her heart beating rapidly.

It was Monday! _Finally!_ She could barely contain her excitement.

Glancing quickly around at her room, she noted with glee that she had not yet packed. _Wonderful! _she thought, _I need to keep myself occupied until Professor McGonagall arrives. What better way to do so than to pack?_

Laughing, Anna opened her door and hurried down the stairs. On the bottom step (which let out a low moan as she put her foot on it), she suddenly realized that her parents were still asleep, it being, after all, only six-thirty in the morning.

So she moved quietly through the hallway to the kitchen, biting her lip a little and grinning. She collapsed into a chair with a great sigh, glancing happily around. Her green eyes sought out the Grandfather clock near the refrigerator. "Six thirty-five…" she muttered. "Less than six hours!"

She remained seated for the next twenty minutes, not really doing anything, but eager to waste as much time as possible.

At seven o' clock, she hurried up to her room and began setting out her clothes. This was an easy task, for although her parents weren't exactly poor, they had never bought her more than just the necessary articles of clothing. After packing these into her trunk, Anna collected a few of her more precious belongings — namely, her writing journal, her two favorite books, and the picture on her wall.

Moving at a purposely slower rate than usual, it took her nearly an hour to get everything together. Then she carefully brought her trunk downstairs and set it in the front room.

By this time, her father was up, sipping his morning coffee wearily while reading the newspaper in front of the television. He paid no attention to his daughter as she sat down beside him on the sofa.

The hours lolled by.

Anna's father left for work, kissing her a little awkwardly on the cheek when he said goodbye.

Her mother woke up and made breakfast — eggs, ham, and sausage — which Anna ate hurriedly before settling back down on the couch.

The morning news was on. A very pretty lady with dirty blonde curls was speaking in an animated voice: "And now we'll go to Steven for a check on the weather… Steve, what can people expect for the first day of summer?"

"Well, Karen, it certainly looks as though it is going to be a rather interesting day," said Steve as the television switched to a shot of low, grey clouds and large trees swinging in the wind. "Possible thunderstorms are headed our way. Some areas in northern Alton have already been experiencing cold winds and a lot of moisture in the air. Let's take a look at the charts…"

Anna glanced outside at the sky, which was exactly as the weatherman had described it: thick fog surrounded the house, making it nearly impossible to see the rest of the neighborhood; the large palm trees in her backyard were swaying rapidly in the clearly strong wind.

With a sigh, Anna glanced fearfully toward the door before checking her watch. _Eleven-ten._

What if something happened to Professor McGonagall? Was it perhaps too difficult to Apparate in weather conditions such as this? So difficult, in fact, that she wouldn't come?

Anna certainly hoped not. But as the minutes ticked by, her heart seemed to beat a little slower than usual.

"Anna?" Mrs. Tulding asked, shaking her daughter gently. "Anna, darling?"

Anna's eyelids fluttered open. "Yes, Mother?" she asked.

"Professor McGonagall is here."

Everything seemed to freeze for a moment. Then Anna's eyes shot open, wider than they had ever gone before. She got to her feet so quickly that her head hurt.

And there was Professor McGonagall, wearing a different dress — covered with little pock-a-dots on a maroon background — and the exact same black cloak, standing near the entrance to the hallway. "Hello, Anna," she said. "Are you ready to go?"

Anna glanced at her watch. It was two minutes after twelve. She grinned. "Yes, of course."

"Wonderful," said Professor McGonagall, smiling a little. "Do you have your form signed? Your list of supplies? Money?"

Anna looked questionably at her mother. Mrs. Tulding reached into her pocket and produced a rather thick wad of money. She handed it to Anna, who then turned to Professor McGonagall, nodding vigorously.

"Good, good. Then we'd best be off. The weather is not quite as nice as I would have liked, so it may take a bit longer than expected."

"Well," Anna said, smiling up at her mother. "Goodbye."

Mrs. Tulding looked at her daughter for a moment, and then pulled her into a hug. "Goodbye, Anna. You'll have to write to let us know whether you want to stay for the holidays, or not."

"All right." Anna had the tiniest frown on her face, because she sensed that her mother knew more about Hogwarts than she was revealing.

Professor McGonagall moved toward the front door. "Come along, then."

They stepped into the front room, where Anna's trunk was waiting. The professor pulled something that looked like a very smooth, pointed stick out from beneath her cloak. She muttered something, and the trunk rose into the air. Then she glanced at Anna, who looked positively delighted. "This is a wand. You'll be getting one in Diagon Alley. Now, if you will please grab hold of my arm and place your hand securely on the trunk's handle, we will be off."

Anna did as she said and held tightly to both the trunk and McGonagall.

"I must warn you that this will feel strange, as though air is being squeezed out of your lungs. Just remain calm. It will be over in a few seconds," the professor said. "Ready? One — two — three."

It really did feel as though something very large was squeezing Anna in the abdomen, trying to force all of the air in her lungs out into the open. She was in a whirl of darkness, not able to be defined or conceived.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

Regaining her composure, Anna relaxed as fresh, beautiful air filled her lungs. She glanced at her surroundings, and felt herself gasp in amazement.

She was standing in the middle of Diagon Alley — a very long, paved road lined with numerous shops, and crowded with people in cloaks. But it was the shops that intrigued Anna the most. They had the most peculiar names, and the most interesting products Anna had ever seen in the windows. She was nearest to a store called Quality Quidditch Supplies. Children were clustered around a display, over which hung a sign titled "The Firebolt."

"Firebolt…" Anna muttered. Then she turned to Professor McGonagall, who was looking sharply around the area. "Professor, what's Quidditch?"

"It's a very popular wizard sport, played on Broomsticks," said the professor, smiling at Anna. "We have Quidditch at Hogwarts, so you will be able to learn more about it there."

"Ah," Anna said, suddenly gazing eagerly at a shop called Magical Menagerie, where she could see all sorts of animals in the window. "I think I want to go there in a bit," she said, pointing at the shop. "I've always wanted a cat."

"Yes, I'll let you look in most of the shops. But first we need to go to Gringotts to get you some money." Professor McGonagall replied.

_The wizarding bank!_ Anna thought with glee. "All right."

They made their way carefully through the crowd until they reached the very large building at the end of the road. Inside, it was a fair bit cooler, and Anna rubbed her arms, shivering, But she didn't dwell on the temperature for long, since there were much more interesting things to think about while in Gringotts.

Professor McGonagall had clearly forgotten to mention that the wizarding bank was not run by wizards (as Anna had assumed), but by goblins. They were a few inches shorter than Anna, with pointy ears and a slightly sinister expression, as though they believed everyone was guilty. Anna might have been a bit frightened of the goblins, had they not been so occupied with their work, counting out bronze, silver, and gold coins, and weighing large jewels on scales.

The professor led Anna to an open spot at the high counter, where a small goblin sat on an elevated seat, filling out a piece of parchment. He stopped working when they approached and peered at Anna through large eyes.

"How may I help you?" he asked in a rather icy voice. He seemed to be annoyed, but perhaps that was just how he spoke.

"We need to exchange these," said McGonagall as Anna carefully withdrew the wad of bills from her coat pocket. "And we would also like to open an account."

"Very well," said the goblin, taking the money from Anna. "What name would you like to use?"

"Anna Tulding," replied the professor.

"If you will please fill out this form…" The goblin reached behind the desk and produced a piece of parchment and a quill, which he handed to McGonagall. She took them and began to write very quickly, while the goblin walked away to exchange the money.

Anna, who had never before used a quill for writing, watched with her eyes wide as the professor wrote, every so often answering a question such as, "What are the names of your grandparents?" or, "Are you pure-blood, half-blood, or muggle-born?"

The goblin returned several minutes later with a fairly large sack. "The amount added up to fifty-five galleons, sixteen sickles, and twenty-five knuts."

Professor McGonagall, who had by this time completed the form, handed it to the goblin and took the sack of coins. She peered into the bag. "That seems to be in order," she said. Then she looked back at the goblin. "We would like to deposit half of it into her vault."

"Very well," said the goblin, taking the sack back. "Would you like to visit the vault yourself?"

"No, thank you. We'll just take her key and be off. We have a very tight schedule to keep to."

"Of course." The goblin removed half of the money from the bag in only a moment. Anna looked positively bewildered at his speed. But then the sack was being thrust back into her hands. "Here is her key," the goblin said, handing McGonagall a small silver key. "And we will see to it that this gold is put into her vault — number 1256 — immediately."

"Thank you very much," said McGonagall, stowing the key beneath her cloak.

Then the two walked out of Gringotts and into the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley.


End file.
